English

During the term our English is taught in ‘units of work’ inspired by and based on the following quality children’s texts.

AUTUMN 1

Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz): 6 weeks

Alex Rider is NOT your average fourteen-year-old. Raised by his mysterious uncle, an uncle who dies in equally mysterious circumstances, Alex finds himself thrown into the murky world of espionage. Trained by MI6 and sent out into the field just weeks later, Alex’s first mission is to infiltrate the base of the reclusive billionaire suspected of killing his uncle.

Fast-paced (the novel was later made into a feature film), Stormbreaker is a riot of an adventure story in the vein of James Bond.

The key learning aims during the unit are:

• To explore, in depth, characterisation and settings in an adventure narrative.
• To explore the motivations and actions of characters.
• To explore key themes in a longer narrative.
• To explore similarities and differences between a written and a filmed text.

The main writing / speaking and listening outcomes of the unit are:

• Diary entries
• Letters
• Reflective first person narratives
• Character profiles
• CV & Interview skills
• Persuasive text – spy gadget
• Code-writing
• Notes for class discussion and debate
• Text for graphic novel adaptation
• Written comparisons 

AUTUMN 2

Shackleton’s Journey (William Grill): 4 weeks

William Grill weaves a detailed visual narrative of Shackleton's epic journey to Antarctica in this beautifully illustrated book. Grill's skilful use of coloured pencils and vibrant hues effortlessly evokes the adventure and excitement that surrounded the expedition. His well researched drawings, rich with detail, fastidiously reproduce the atmosphere of the expedition.

This book takes the academic and historical information behind the expedition and reinterprets it for a young audience.  The unit builds is linked to our learning from Autumn 1 in geography (Extreme Earth) and science during the Spring term. 

The key learning aims during the unit are:

• To appreciate why stories are memorable and characters exciting.
• To consider how particular situations make individuals behave as they do.
• To explore dilemmas, empathising with characters.
• To learn about the differences between information and fiction texts.
• To produce a range of writing to respond to text through role play and dramatisation.

The main writing / speaking and listening outcomes of the unit are:

• Annotating
• Note writing in role as character
• Reading journals
• Text marking
• Story mapping
• Character description
• List poetry
• Letter writing
• Instructions
• Log writing
• Newspaper reports
• Speeches
• Recount
• Quotes

The Highwayman (Alfred Noyles, illustrated by Charles Keeping): 3 weeks

This narrative poem, written in 1913, tells a tragic tale of love, jealousy and bravery. With evocative language, a powerful rhythm and strong patterning, it is ideal for performance.

The key learning aims during the unit are:

• To use drama to explore themes such as hope, fears and desires.
• To investigate the language of historical narrative poetry.
• To understand how writers use structure to create coherence and impact.
• Understand different points of view.
• To compare the usefulness of techniques such as visualisation, prediction and empathy in exploring the meaning of texts.
• To evaluate how authors use figurative language.

The main writing / speaking and listening outcomes of the unit are:

• Annotating
• Freeze-Frame
• Performing poetry
• Story-telling
• Discussion
• Narrative interpretation of a poem.

SPaG aspects are integrated into all teaching sequences.